2nd LD: 17 killed, 41 wounded in in suicide bombing in Iraq's Diyala

Up to 17 were killed and 41 were injured Monday in a suicide bomb attack in a village in Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, a provincial security source told Xinhua.

The suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest detonated himself at a funeral tent in the Shiite village of Brishtah, 100 km northeast of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The attacker apparently targeted several paramilitary Shiite units of Hashd Shaabi, or polpular mobilization, who were at the funeral, the source said.

He added that five leading figures from the Shiite militia were killed, including Ali Hamad al-Temimi, Diyala's provincial leader from the powerful Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq militia, or League of the Righteous.

The League of the Righteous group is believed to be divorced from the radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi's Army.

It was allegedly funded, trained and armed by Iran's Quds Force during the U.S. occupation of Iraq, and following the fallback of U.S. troops in 2011, the group allied with the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.

The callosal blast caused extensive damage to the area, destroying several nearby buildings and civilian cars, the source said.

He added that provincial security authorities imposed a curfew and intensified security measures in numerous villages and towns in the area, including Maqdadiyah, to prevent potential retaliatory attacks.

The volatile town of Maqdadiyah witnessed escalating sectarian tension especially after January 11, when substantial explosions claimed by the Islamic State (IS) militant group targeted a coffee shop in town which Shiite residents frequent.

This led Shiite militiamen to retaliate by bombing and burning several Sunni mosques and tens of shops owned by Sunnis in the town, along with executing dozens of Sunni residents.

IS has frequently targets crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques throughout Iraq.

Iraq is currently witnessing a wave of violence since IS took over areas of Iraq's northern and western regions in June 2014.

A United Nations report estimated that over 22,300 people were either killed or injured in armed conflict in Iraq in 2015. Endit